Lemon Cake With Lemon Meringue Buttercream Food

LEMON MERINGUE CAKE

Steps:

• Make the lemon curd: Whisk the sugar, egg yolks, lemon juice, lemon zest, cornstarch and salt in a small saucepan over medium-low heat; cook, whisking occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until thick, about 10 minutes. Whisk in the butter a few pieces at a time until melted, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface and refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours.
• Make the meringue: Whisk the egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (do not let the bowl touch the water) until the mixture is warm and the sugar dissolves, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the bowl from the pan; add the cream of tartar and vanilla and beat with a mixer on medium-high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Assemble the cake: Put 1 cake layer on a platter; spread the lemon curd on top, stopping about 1/2 inch from the edge. Top with the second cake layer and press down gently. Cover the cake with the meringue, using the back of a spoon to make swirly peaks. Brown the meringue with a kitchen torch. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 1 day.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9-inch-round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper; butter the parchment and dust the pans with flour, tapping out the excess.
• Whisk 3 cups flour, the baking powder and salt in a bowl until combined. Beat 2 sticks butter and the sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to medium; beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla. (The mixture may look separated at this point.)
• Mix 1/2 cup water with the cream in a liquid measuring cup or bowl. Beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the cream mixture, beginning and ending with flour, until just smooth.
• Divide the batter between the prepared pans. Bake until the cakes are lightly golden on top and the centers spring back when pressed, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to racks and let cool 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the pans and turn the cakes out onto the racks to cool completely. Remove the parchment. Trim the tops of the cakes with a long serrated knife to make them level, if desired.

LEMON CAKE WITH RASPBERRY SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 8-by-3-inch round cake pans with butter.
• In a bowl, whisk the egg whites, 1/4 cup of the buttermilk, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla until combined. Set aside.
• Combine the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on low speed for 1 minute. Add the butter and the remaining 1 cup buttermilk. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened, then beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add one-third of the egg white mixture, beat on low speed until blended and then on medium speed for 20 seconds. Scrape down the bowl and repeat two more times with the remaining egg white mixture.
• Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert the cakes onto the rack and let cool completely.
• For the buttercream: Combine the egg whites and powdered sugar in a clean mixer bowl. Using the paddle attachment, mix on medium speed for 10 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and start adding the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Once all of the butter is incorporated, beat on medium speed for 10 minutes, until the buttercream comes together.
• Puree the raspberries with the granulated sugar until liquid. Press through a fine-mesh sieve. Mix the raspberry juice into the buttercream on low speed until incorporated, then beat for another 2 minutes until smooth.
• To assemble the cake: Add buttercream to each cake layer, then stack the layers. Ice the top and sides of the stacked cake with the remaining buttercream.

LEMON MERINGUE CAKE

Steps:

• Make pudding mix as directed on box for pie, using all remaining filling ingredients. Refrigerate about 1 1/2 hours or until chilled.
• Heat oven to 325°F. Grease sides of two 9- or 8-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms of pans with cooking parchment paper. In medium bowl, beat cake flour, 3/4 cup sugar, the baking powder, salt, shortening, milk, vanilla and 4 egg yolks with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. (Batter will be stiff.) Spread evenly in pans.
• In small bowl, beat 4 egg whites with electric mixer on medium speed until foamy. Beat in 1 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, on high speed until stiff peaks form. Spread half of meringue over batter in each pan.
• Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until meringue looks set and dry. Cool 10 minutes. Loosen meringues from edges of pans with point of knife if necessary. Carefully remove from pans and peel off paper. Cool completely with meringue sides up on cooling racks, about 1 hour.
• Spread 1 1/4 cups pudding over meringue on 1 cake layer. Place other cake layer, meringue side up, on first layer. Top with remaining pudding. Serve within 30 minutes. Store in refrigerator.

LEMON MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Make lemon curd:
• In a small heavy saucepan whisk together yolks and sugar and whisk in lemon juice, butter, and a pinch of salt. Cook mixture over moderately low heat, whisking, until it reaches boiling point, 5 to 7 minutes (do not let it boil). Strain curd through a fine sieve into a bowl and cool, its surface covered with a plastic wrap. Chill curd, covered at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Make buttercream:
• In a heavy saucepan combine sugar and water and bring to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil syrup, undisturbed, until it reaches 248°F on candy thermometer. While syrup is boiling, in a standing electric mixer beat whites with a pinch salt until foamy and beat in cream of tarter. Beat whites until they just hold stiff peaks and add hot syrup in a stream, beating. Beat mixture at medium speed until completely cool, 15 to 20 minutes. Beat in butter, 1 piece at a time, and beat until it is thick and smooth. (Buttercream will at first appear very thin but as more butter is beaten in, it will thicken.) Beat in lemon curd and salt, beating until smooth, and drizzle in framboise, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating. Buttercream may be made 4 days ahead and chilled in an airtight container or 2 weeks ahead and frozen in anairtight container. Let buttercream come completely to room temperature (this may take several hours if frozen) and beat before using.

LEMON MERINGUE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour 3 8-inch cake pans.
• Mix the cake mix, water, eggs, and vegetable oil as directed on the package, and pour batter into prepared cake pans.
• Bake the layers in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool in pan at least 20 minutes or until completely cool.
• When the cake is completely cool, run a paring knife between the cake and the edge of the pan. Hold the cake pan on its side and gently tap the sides of the pan against the counter to loosen it. Cover the cake pan with a plate or cooling rack, and invert it to tip the cake out of the pan and onto the plate.
• To fill and decorate, lay a cake layer onto an oven-safe plate, and spread half the lemon filling over the bottom layer. Place a second layer gently on the lemon filling, and spread the rest of the filling on the top of the second layer. Top with third layer.
• Beat the egg whites in a bowl until they form stiff peaks, then gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until the mixture forms a fluffy, shiny meringue. Spread the meringue all over the cake like a frosting, spreading it into decorative peaks and swirls. Place the decorated cake back into the hot oven, and bake until the peaks and swirls of meringue are lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Refrigerate 4 hours to overnight, then serve cold.